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CAIRO – In a tragic development within the embattled Gaza Strip, an Israeli airstrike claimed the lives of four Palestinians on Sunday, as reported by hospital officials. Among the deceased were two young boys and a pregnant woman expecting twins.
The airstrike targeted a residence in Nuseirat, a densely populated refugee camp situated in central Gaza. This attack resulted in the deaths of a couple in their 30s and their 10-year-old son, according to Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital, located nearby.
Another victim, a 15-year-old boy from the neighborhood, was pronounced dead at Awda hospital in Nuseirat, while his younger brother sustained injuries during the incident, hospital sources confirmed.
“We were asleep when a missile struck, waking us with its sheer force,” recounted Mahmoud al-Muhtaseb, a local resident. “There was no advance warning.”
The Israeli military has yet to provide a statement regarding the incident.
The deaths were the latest fatalities among Palestinians in the coastal enclave since an October ceasefire deal attempted to halt a more than 2-year war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza.
While the heaviest fighting has subsided, the ceasefire has still seen almost daily Israeli fire. Israeli forces have carried out repeated airstrikes and frequently fire on Palestinians near military-held zones, killing more than 650 Palestinians, according to Gaza health officials.
Israel says it has responded to violations of the ceasefire or targeted wanted militants. But about half of those killed have been women and children, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.
They were among more than 72,200 Palestinians killed in the war which was triggered when Hamas-led militants attacked southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023. The militant attack killed over 1,200 people and took over 250 others hostage.
The health ministry, which is part of the Hamas-led government, maintains detailed casualty records that are seen as generally reliable by U.N. agencies and independent experts. But it does not give a breakdown of civilians and militants.
Militants have carried out shooting attacks on troops, and Israel says its strikes are in response to that and other violations. Four Israeli soldiers have been killed since the ceasefire.
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